Kimley-Horn will design the plan to close nine Woodlawn-to-Trussville rail crossings and build an underpass and a bridge. Design and review take about two years.

Birmingham, Trussville and Norfolk Southern have hired an engineering firm to design a fix for the blocked railroad crossings between Woodlawn and Trussville.

The partners named Kimley-Horn on Monday, Oct. 19, to lead the design and environmental review. The city of Birmingham announced the pick the same day. The city called the trains blocking at-grade crossings on the line a long-standing problem, and the project is meant to keep most train movements away from drivers.

Nothing will be built yet. The city said design and the federal environmental review are expected to take about two years. After that, Birmingham and its partners will look for federal and other money to pay for construction.

What the project would build

The project is called R.E.D.E.S.I.G.N. Alabama, short for Reduce Extended Delays; Enhance Safety; and Invest in Growing Neighborhoods. According to the city’s announcement, it would:

  • close nine rail crossings between Woodlawn and Trussville and send traffic to new crossings that go over or under the tracks
  • build an underpass at Brussels Avenue
  • build a pedestrian underpass near 59th Street
  • extend 5th Avenue South to Brussels Avenue, with a sidewalk on 5th Avenue from 56th Street to Brussels Avenue
  • extend the railroad siding track in Trussville two miles into Norfolk Southern’s Norris Yard
  • build a bridge at Mary Taylor Road

The siding is the part aimed at the long waits. The city said it would let trains entering and leaving Norris Yard in Irondale, about eight miles northeast of downtown Birmingham, meet and pass away from a major road crossing. Together with the existing Watterson Parkway bridge and the new Mary Taylor Road bridge, the city said, almost three miles of added track would keep train movements mostly apart from traffic.

The city also said trains would no longer have to blow their horns along the corridor once the underpass is built and the crossings are closed. That would mean a quieter stretch for the Harris Homes and Woodlawn neighborhoods.

Who is paying

The design phase is paid for by an $8 million Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation. Birmingham’s Department of Transportation won the grant, and the partners announced the project in 2023.

Norfolk Southern is putting in $1.5 million toward the local match. Birmingham and Trussville split the rest of the match, the city said. Rep. Terri Sewell, D-Ala., announced the grant in September 2023 as planning and engineering money for crossing closures and grade separations, including the roads in and out of Harris Homes.

The city’s announcement does not give a cost for building the project.

What the mayors and the railroad said

“This project is about removing barriers and making it easier and safer for people to move through their own neighborhoods,” Mayor Randall Woodfin said in the city’s announcement.

Trussville, about 13 miles northeast of downtown Birmingham, has the same problem at its end of the line. “Blocked railroad crossings have created frustrations for our residents and presented real concerns for public safety and emergency response,” Trussville Mayor Ben Short said.

Rodney Moore, Norfolk Southern’s vice president of transportation, said the investment would “enhance safety, improve quality of life, strengthen supply chain connectivity” for the region. The railroad also unveiled a Birmingham-themed locomotive at Monday’s event, the city said.

What it means for you

  • If you live in Woodlawn or Harris Homes, nothing changes at the crossings for now. The closures, the Brussels Avenue underpass and the quieter corridor come only after design, review and a separate round of construction funding.
  • If you drive Mary Taylor Road or through Trussville, the bridge and the longer siding are the pieces meant to stop trains from blocking traffic near Norris Yard. They are also years away.
  • For now, a blocked crossing is still a reason to find another route. Current lane and road closures are on our road construction and closures page.

The city’s announcement did not give dates for any public meetings on the design. We will update this page when it does.